For every hunter there are many items, tools, equipment and hunting dogs that can be used. Hunting dogs are great companions to take along for the hunt. They will also provide the hunter with the ability to flush out the game, tracking it down and in some cases retrieving the fallen game. For hunters of squirrels there is another type of hunting dog that can be used. These dogs are the squirrel dogs.

In general any type of dog can be used as a squirrel dog. The main purpose of these dogs is to seek out squirrels and corner them so that the hunter can arrive in time to make the kill. While it is possible to train any breed of dog to be a squirrel chasing dog there are some particular dogs that can be used for this branch of hunting.

The real squirrel dogs that have been used for many years are the Terriers, Dachshunds, Feists and  Curs. These dogs have been trained as squirrel hunting dogs for many generations. The best of these dog breeds are the Curs. These dogs have some kind of Terrier genes in their blood lines.

The main types of Curs that are  acceptable for squirrel hunting are those of the American Leopard, Mountain, Blackmouth and the Treeing Tennessee Brindle. They all help the squirrel hunter to bag the squirrel they want by locating the prey. The best and well trained squirrel hunting dogs will be able to locate the whereabouts of a squirrel simply by the noise they make.

As most squirrels can be found in wooded regions where their favorite food source is, this is where you should expect to see your hunting dog heading to. Once the dogs have found the squirrel they will chase the squirrel to a place where the prey will have some difficulty jumping to another tree or even hiding under some rocks. The hunters will be able to shoot the squirrels once they have found the hiding place on the tree and the dogs have been secured.

In addition to helping hunters find small game such as squirrels, there are competitions that the squirrel dogs can be entered in. These contests demonstrate the level of training and skill that a squirrel hunting dog displays. The more well-trained and experienced the dog the higher chances the hunters will have of bagging their game.

While the many different breeds of hunting dogs are excellent for helping hunters, squirrel dogs are great companions for the hunter of squirrels. With these squirrel dogs at your side you will find that you can catch your day’s limit of squirrels with ease and enjoyment.

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As soon as you get your pup, start teaching him how to learn. A seven week old pup is very capable of learning.  It is a very important time frame in the life of your pup. Use it wisely. Puppies cannot learn anything locked in a crate or left in a dog run, so make your pup a part of your family and your life.

Puppy training should be done in small doses with bits of food as rewards- Hold a small piece of cheese over his head and say sit. When he finally accidentally plops his butt down, say good and give him the piece of cheese. This can be done about 10 times in a row or until pup acts bored or distracted. Always stop a lesson before the pup gets bored. If you do this two or three times a day, your pup will know the word “sit” in a couple of days. By then the pup knows “sit” in this setting but does not really know the word thoroughly, such as if he were outside and you did not hold a treat over his head.

Teach “down” using the same principle. With pup in the sitting position, bring your hand to the floor in front of pup and say “down.” He will quickly learn to lie down to get at the tidbit in your hand. It is good for your pup to know the “down” command in order to later lie down quietly in a holding blind or duck blind.

Have your pup wear a soft leather or nylon collar  soon after they are separated from the litter. After a few days, they adjust to having it on. At this point snap a lightweight lead on the collar. Let the pup guide you at first. Do not pull or drag him. Eventually, try to guide the pup or coax him into following you with praise, tidbits and rewards. After several days, the pup should be readily walking on lead. Encourage him with praise and food to stay close to your side. Keep his attention.

Take your pup off leash for walks in the woods or park. This will introduce him to various cover changes, footing, smells and sights. Have him wade thru puddles, navigate ditches and negotiate stairs. This also teaches him to follow you. Since he is in a strange place, he is likely to want to stay close to the only thing that he is familiar with-you. This helps bonding and establishes you as the leader. Sometimes, when your pup gets distracted, hide on him or change your position. When he discovers that you are gone, he will probably get a little worried and start whining or looking for something familiar. Now call and coax him to you and pet and praise him-this can help establish yourself as the leader and the puppy as the follower. You have become his leader and protector.

Have your pup fetch rolled-up socks or other soft, lightweight toys and coax him to you. Kneel to his level, clap, praise and move away from him if he hesitates to come. Most young pups will come when they think you are leaving them. If you have an independent pup, you might start his retrieves by using a hallway in your house to limit his options.If he does not come, you may want to spend a few days on the “come” or “here” command, using the treats as a reward before going back to retrieving.
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If it is warm (water temperature over 50 degrees), pups can swim at an early age. The easiest way is to wade into the water and coax your pup in with you.If he won’t go in, wait and try again in a couple of days. Try playing with him and other dogs in and around the water. He will eventually swim; be patient. He may be 10 or 12 weeks old before he decides to venture in; don’t force the issue.

When your pup is retrieving toys, introduce a thrower to him. Use white or contrasting colored objects. Have the thrower stand 10 or 15 feet away, ’hup, hup’ to get the pup’s attention and toss the object. Release the pup as soon as he wants to go. Only do three or four retrieves at a time, then take a break. Do this once each day or every other day.

Instead of trying to stretch the distance your pup goes on his retrieves, keep them short so as not to tire him. Gradually make the retrieves more complicated. Have a little change of cover, run across a mowed path, angle a safe ditch or cross a large puddle of water. Also try having a person stand short of another person who throws, so he runs past the first person on his way to the object.

Try to get the pup to run at the object and not at the thrower. If he is running at the thrower, then the thrower is too far away. Shorten the distance between you and the thrower and lengthen the actual distance of the throw, so the pup runs at the object and not the thrower.

At some point, a pistol shot can replace the “hup, hup.” It is not that important how you get the pup’s attention. But you don’t want to startle him with the noise of a gun. If you don’t have other dogs that you are working, introduce gunshots at a distance, so as not to startle your pup.

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Flushing spaniels combine hunting, flushing, and retrieving skills.
English Springer Spaniels are popular gundogs for a variety of cover but are
closely followed in popularity by English Cocker Spaniels.
Both breeds are adept at finding and flushing then retrieving game from thick
cover. Clumbers, Sussex, and Field Spaniels are also popular for their slower,
methodical hunting pattern. The American Water Spaniel and the Boykin Spaniel
are noted for their water work.

When trained, Beagles are particularly adept at chasing through thick briars
and brush after rabbits. However, spaniels are also excellent rabbit hunting
dogs. Spaniel field trials in the UK use both game birds as well as rabbits.
Many hound breeds are excellent at treeing raccoons.

Sighthounds are different from scenthounds in their methods and adaptations.
The long lean head of the sighthound gives it a greater degree of binocular
vision. Their speed, agility and visual acuity are particularly adapted for
coursing game in open meadows or steppes. They are independent in nature, and
are worked singly or in a “brace” of two or three dogs. Sighthounds are
generally quiet and placid dogs compared to other hunting breeds.

Retrievers are good swimmers so are used for retrieving game shot down over
water. Retrievers skin secretes an oily substance that sheds water.
Retrievers are good at retrieving birds on land or in water.

Hounds have sensitive noses that are used to locate small animals like rabbits
and squirrels. Hound breeds include the bluetick, red tick, walker, and redbone.

Flushers are frequently used for pheasant hunting and can be trained to work
within gun range. Other flushers, like the cocker, the Boykin and several types
of spaniels pursue game until it goes for cover.

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Hunting DogTraining Tips
Even if you are an avid hunter, there would have been many instances of misfiring and even if you have aimed right you would not have brought back the hunt for the obvious reason that you could not find it. Should you be carrying a hunting dog with you, this would not have been the result because a hunting dog would simplify your job whilst not cutting any frills on the thrills you may be experiencing while on a hunting trip .

Whether it is a small game of hunting a lakeside duck or a countryside turkey to a big game of hunting an elk or a buck, a hunting dog can scent blood in a jiffy and would take you to the point. With this snapshot idea of a hunting dog, you need to know that a great hunting dog is not available in a nearby pet shop or even an online store. All you need to know is that you should train your canine to make one great hunting dog. Don’t think, though, that this training is easy but to get desired results, you need to know some tips and probably even you can tame a obstinate canine.

Pick the right breed for hunting

Remember that a show-style breed is far different from a hunting dog. The first and foremost quality is a breed that has a good function of smell. You can look at those that are tamable as well as those that can brave long outdoor activities; in fact, the breed should love to stay more of outdoors.

Time needed to train a hunting dog is far greater than training a canine for other jobs, and it calls for a lot of patience on the part of master.

Condition the canine: train your hunting dog to be tough when faced with adversities of outdoors. This will be perfect priming for your canine before the game of hunting begins.

Take him out more often, say at least once a week and see that you are supplying him with sufficient nutrition for this extra exercise as well as regular growth. Give him good quantities of water so he doesn’t get dehydrated.

Train him to chase a target or follow a trail, using decoy rabbits or fowls to tease the canine and allow him to learn stalking the target and teach him to bring the target to you. Use a whistle as an indication of command and let him get used to your word calls. Teach him to focus even when there are disturbances around. However, this should more likely be done during advanced training and not at pup stage.

Most important is to make your training as enjoyable as possible. Reward your canine for any signs of excelling in the training and he should find it enthralling and exciting.

And, remember that if you have trained your hunting dog properly, he will never like to eat the hunted animal but will love to return it to his master.

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Hunting Dogs History
The origin of the hunting dog dates back 20,000 years ago when Mesolithic man made use of early dogs to hunt for food, shelter, and clothing. While hunting is only a pleasure now, and rarely used in the western world for food, an ancient hunter’s life depended on his hunting success. 9,000 years ago the dog’s role changed though; this is when livestock was tamedand the dog morphed from hunter to protector and guard. By the Bronze Age, 4,500 B.C., there were five different types of dog in existence; the pointers, shepherds, mastiffs, greyhounds, and wolf breeds. Early cave paintings from this time show that dogs worked alongside hunters, being bred for their distinct job.

During this age man really began to manage the dog species to his needs. Today’s modern dog channels these primal ancestors, and not only is it why the dog has the exceptional nose to track prey, but it’s where his instinct comes from to hunt. The evolution of the dog is intricately linked with the evolution of humanity.

Hunting dogs were bred for certain types of hunts; the bird dogs were meant to flush fowl and some to fetch it from the water. Some were bred to tree raccoons, others to hunt rodents.

Today there are hundreds of breeds that all trace their genes back to these ancient hunters. Within each type there are more subcategories based upon a dog’s definitive characteristics. The hounds are broken up into sight or scent hounds; gun dogs consist of retrievers, setters, spaniels, water dogs, and pointers. Curs and Lakeland terriers are subcategories of the terrier. What all of these dogs have in common though, is their allegiance to mankind for thousands of years.

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Choosing a Hunting Dog

As we all know, dog breeds have particular purposes, and aspiring dog owners need to know this to assist them decide what kind of dog they will bring home. People living in the countryside or those who are enamored of hunting would prefer hunting dogs. Nonetheless, hunting dogs are still classified into four groups, depending on their own precise skill. Ergo, the hunter would choose their dog breed based on their particular kind of hunting needs. Before choosing a hunting dog, ascertain first what you want your dog to do. This way, having the dog of your choice will not defeat the purpose.

Major Denomination of Hunting Dogs

Hounds: Hounds are classified into three groups such as sight hounds, scent hounds and lurchers. Sight hounds have very keen eyesight and are exceedingly fast runners. They have the ability to see their prey from a great distance. They follow the prey, chase it and eventually kill it. Scent hounds, as the name signifies, use their sense of smell in chasing their prey. They can go a long expanse to chase the prey before finding it. The last of this kind are the lurchers. They are sight hounds bred with working dogs.

Gun Dogs: Retrievers have very astute memory. They are capable of remembering the precise area where the prey fell. These dogs’ craft is mainly to retrieve birds or other prey and return them to the hunter without any harm. Retrieving game without damage is primarily due to their “soft mouth.” The most liked dog breeds for this purpose are the Labrador retriever and the Golden retriever, and the retriever’s greatest distinction is pleasing his owner.

Pointers and Setters: This kind of dogs is an expert in pointing where the prey is found. They are very handy in bird hunts. As the word implies, the pointer uses his body to point to the direction of the prey and settle down to the ground once they have located it allowing the hunter to easily find where the game is.

Terriers: The Terrier’s expertise is to hunt mammals. They are usually used to find where the target animal lives and capture or kill the animal using its force.

Curs: Curs are used in hunting larger animals.

Benefits of a Good Hunting Dog

With the assorted kinds of hunting dogs, it’s up to you what you choose. However, these dogs still need to be trained tocomplement their innate capability to hunt. With the appropriate training and nurturing of the dog’s skill, you will be amazed how this dog will make a good helper in hunting. They are not just fun to work with, but they also make a very good companion. Remember, how you treat your dog is the best reinforcement for them to do their part in hunting. It’s not only what you feed your dog but above all how you care for them. They are not only there to aid you in hunting, but it must be a give-and-take relationship. This way, your hunting experience will not only be for fun but a chance to build a good relationship with each other.

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Hunting With Your Four-legged Friend

While there are many ways for a hunter  to find a hunting dog, the best way is to go through a competent breeder. This way the hunter will know what he’s getting, and if getting an adult dog, it will often already be educated for bird hunting. If this isn’t the case though, the hunter still has some choices for getting his bird dog disciplined and ready to hunt.

Finding a quality bird dog can be a complex thing. When answering an advertisement that has bird dogs for sale, a hunter just doesn’t know what he’s getting. Regardless of the way he gets the dog though, an imperative factor when selecting is getting a look at the dog in action, or seeing it’s parents hunt.

Because training a bird dog can be a challenging task, many hunters choose to hire a professional. While this may be a more lavish option, the hunter can trust the sort of training the dog will receive. There are two types of training a hunter can choose from. The more costly route is to have the professional train the dog in hunting skill. While it’s more expensive, it will also allow the hunter to get right into the field with the dog. The other option is to have the professional simply train the dog on obedience; having a dog that listens while hunting is the number one requirement in the field. Having a dog trained for obedience is also a less expensive option.

For the hunter on a budget, the last choice is for him to train the dog himself. This will take a lot of time and a lot of forbearance, but it certainly can be done. There is one solid benefit to this method too; the dog will listen to your bidding. Sometimes dogs will only respond to their trainer, so if their trainer isn’t the hunter, it can be a dilemma. There are also many videos available that guide the hunter in training his bird dog. The internet and books can also be a great resource when training.

Whichever fashion the hunter chooses to train his dog, there is sure to be one that is right for him. Be sure if hiring a trainer to do your fact-finding and check their references. With a little time the hunter will have a great time in the field with his new four-legged hunting partner.

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Many duck hunters consider their bird dog a fundamental part of their hunt. Because of their loyalty and devotion for the hunt, these dogs jump into cold water, or fetch over rough terrain to get the bird their master has killed. A good bird dog is positively worth his weight in gold to the serious bird hunter. If not for the dog, hunters would lose many a downed bird. A well-trained bird dog adds an altogether new dimension to the hunt.

There are three genres of bird dog, all with a slightly different angle for hunting; the pointing breeds, the flushing breeds, and the retrievers. Pointers are very disciplined and able to locate and freeze when they find prey. They stand motionless, allowing the hunter to get into position and then they flush the bird. English pointers, German shorthair pointers and German wirehaired pointers are all examples within this class.

Flushing dogs consist mainly of the spaniel breeds; the English springer spaniel is the best known in this department. These dogs have been used for hundreds of years and have been developed to stay close to the hunter, within 30-40 yards. The English springer makes a great housedog; he’s clever, loyal, compassionate, with natural hunting abilities.

There are various different types of retrievers, the Labrador retriever being the most widely known. They outshine at retrieving game because of their soft mouths. They’ve also become one of the most crowd-pleasing family pets because of their sweet temperament, trainability, and their eagerness to please. The retriever also stands out because of it’s capacity to learn hand signals; a hunter motions for the dog to look up, and the dog is able to follow the bird’s fall and know where to go to retrieve it. They are also extremely good at “retrieving to hand”, meaning they put the bird straight into the hunter’s hands upon retrieval.

When choosing a bird dog, a hunters choice will lean heavily upon his own preference. While a dog should be eager to please and have a love for the hunt, the most crucial thing a hunter must have with the dog is an affinity. Oftentimes a hunter is simply just drawn to a certain dog, and as long as the dog displays all of the other basic traits, that’s the right dog for him.

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You love your pets. They are the first things you see when you wake up in the morning. They lay at your feet while you’re eating breakfast, they run with you as you get your early morning exercise, they look heart broken when you leave them behind, when you get home from a long day at work they are so happy to see you that they can hardly contain their joy, they listen attentively as you rant and rave about the trials and tribulations of your day, at night they crawl into bed with you and keep the nightmares at bay while you sleep. What they don’t do is criticize you, judge you, or abandon you.

There is very little you wouldn’t do for your pets. That’s what you think almost everyday of the year but on the days you have to take them to the vet and pay the obligatory bill you have to wonder. All your cat had done was a treatment for a mild case of ear mites. And your dog had  a yearly rabies vaccination. The whole processes for both pets took less then fifteen minutes. How could it possibly cost so much?

You might be able to see the benefits of pet health insurance. You might salivate at the idea of not dealing with the enormous vet bills you get every six months. You might even daydream about the day you don’t dread the financial repercussions of taking your dog or cat to the vet. But right now you simply don’t think you can afford the monthly bill a pet health insurance bill would put on your budget, after all its not like having pet health insurance would make the vet bills completely disappear, more than likely you would still have to pay the office visit.

You might not think you can afford pet health insurance at the moment but don’t walk away from an offer, not yet. Looking at a policy does not mean that you have to walk away from it. If you are a clever bargain shopper there are ways to find pet health insurance at a low cost.

If you have more than one pet you probably automatically qualify for a lower premium. Lots of pet health insurance companies offer multiple pet discounts. There is one little catch, a lot of the companies only offer multiple pet discounts if the pets are the same species. In other words if you have two cats that you insure you will pay a lower premium but if you have a cat and a dog lots of pet health insurance companies will consider it two completely different accounts.

Are you starting to despair? Don’t worry too much, while many companies don’t consider pets of separate species grounds for a multiple pet discount a lot of those same companies have a policy that offers discounts to customers who carry more than one policy with the company. The multiple policy discount usually takes about ten percent off the total bill but a good bargain shopper can find companies that offer higher discounts; all they have to do is be willing to spend the time to shop around.

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When pet owners purchase a pet they shop around at the various pet shops, breeders, pet rescues, and animal shelters until they find the dog, cat, or exotic pet that suits them. What very few pet owners do is consider the cost of veterinarian cost for their new pet. The oversight can prove financially devastating and emotionally heartbreaking.

The cost of veterinary cost is on the rise. Technology, liability insurance, medications, and medical research have forced veterinary clinics to raise their cost. Veterinary clinics in rural areas of the country (especially ones that combine their small animal practice with a large animal practice) find it difficult to attract young vets who are graduating from vet school to their clinics; they are forced to offer higher salaries in order to compete with clinics located closer to major cities. The increase in the payroll is then transferred to pet owners.

It was recently estimated that the average dog owner will spend about two hundred dollars a year at the vet’s office. Cats were a little cheaper; their owners only spent about a hundred and sixty dollars in veterinary bills. When you consider what the average life expectancy is for a pet, especially on those kept inside, that’s a lot of money. And what if the pet isn’t your run of the mill dog or cat? What if the pet is something more exotic like a pot bellied pig, a ferret, a rabbit, a snake, or even a skunk? The more exotic the pet the more the pet owner is likely to spend on the veterinarian bills, especially if they have a pet such as a skunk which will probably require a vet with special skills. What happens to the pet if it suddenly gets sick or is injured in a freak accident? How much will it set the pet owner back if they have to take their family pet to a university’s veterinary school, will they be able to afford it or will they be forced to euthanize their pet for economic reasons?

Many pet owners try to keep the unexpected veterinary bills at bay by providing excellent care for their pets. They make sure that the pet is kept well groomed to prevent insects and skin disorders. They only feed their pets foods that are very carefully balanced with a proper blend of nutrients. They make sure the pet maintains a healthy weight, not too thin and not too fat. Some pet owners won’t let their pets out of the house, fearing a freak accident. While pet owners should take the best possible care of their pets and do everything in their power to keep their family pet safe, even the most careful, health conscious pet owner can not prevent everything.

Pet health insurance is one way to prevent veterinarian bills from becoming overwhelming. Pet health insurance is insurance pet owners purchase to help cover veterinarian bills similar to human medical insurance. The chances of a pet owner being able to purchase a pet health care at the same health insurance company where they purchase their human health insurance is slim. Most pet owners will find that they have to go to a separate insurance company that specializes in pet health insurance.

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